2022 Most Powerful People in the Asian Golf Industry

Kim Young Je
President/CEO, SKY72 Golf Resorts

Kim Young Je has been a powerhouse in Korean golf since the early days of the nation’s golf boom in the 1990s. Four 18-hole courses — Hanul Course, Lake Course, Classic Course and Ocean Course — are open for play, as well as a driving range. The 400-yard Dream Golf Range is known as the world’s largest circular golf range.

Located near Incheon International Airport, SKY 72 is a popular hub airport in Northeast Asia. It is currently preparing 108 holes of golf courses in Western South Korea near the seaside with a 30-hole practice facility.

Kim Young-Chan
Chairman/CEO, Golfzon Yuwon Holdings

Kim is another Korean with a growing empire outside of his home country. Golfzon cemented itself in 2019 as one of golf’s most popular golf simulator brands. It boasts the most indoor entertainment installations in the world with 2.8 million online members, 30,000 simulators and 59 million rounds played per year on simulators in 46 countries. Golfzon opened its first North American location in Connecticut in October 2019 under its ZSTRICT brand.

Golfzon’s recent partnership with Troon should be a big step toward making simulators more prevalent in the U.S. Troon will manage Golfzon’s ZSTRICT indoor entertainment facilities, with three locations in the U.S. set to open this year.

Trinh Van Quyet
Chairman, FLC Group

Trinh Van Quyet, chairman of FLC Group, continues to grow and expand the Vietnamese company into various industries. But he is in a bit of trouble this year following a trading violation. The Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HSX) annulled a January sale of 74.8 million shares of conglomerate FLC and suspended his accounts. According to reports, FLC has more than doubled in value since September 2021, an increase of 363% since January 2021. Trinh will retain his shares but will not make any profit, reports said.

In November 2020, FLC Group opened its biggest resort yet: the $1.5 billion FLC Quynhon Beach & Golf Resort in Binh Dinh, which includes two 18-hole courses, four 11-story buildings and a safari park. The multi-industrial conglomerate hopes to outlast the pandemic. But it is invested heavily in tourism with its many resorts and Bamboo Airways, which took its first flight in January 2019.

Shin Il Yoo
Chairman, Hankuk Industrial

Owner and chairman Shin II Yoo has been involved in the golf industry since 1990, but elevated his name to new levels with the acquisition of PGA West, a joint…